"You will remember," said the captain, after a moment's pause,that he might take up the thread of his narrative consecutively,"that I awoke a little before midnight. At first I was confused,but soon all that had happened came back to me. I found myself apart of a long line of sleeping men that formed the reserve. Notfarther than from here across the street was another line in frontof us. Beyond this were our vigilant pickets, and then the vedettesof the enemy. All seemed strangely still and peaceful, but a singleshot would have brought thousands of men to their feet. The moonpoured a soft radiance over all, and gave to the scene a weirdand terrible beauty. The army was like a sleeping giant. Wouldits awakening be as terrible as on the last three mornings? ThenI thought of that other army sleeping beyond our lines,--an armywhich neither bugle nor the thunder of all our guns could awaken.
"I soon distinguished faint, far-off sounds from the disputedterritory beyond our pickets. Rising, I put my hand to my ear, andthen heard the words, 'Water! water!'
"They were the cries of wounded men entreating for that which wouldquench their intolerable thirst. The thought that Strahan might beamong this number stung me to the very quick, and I hastened to thesenior captain, who now commanded the regiment. I found him alertand watchful, with the bugle at his side, for he felt the weightof responsibility so suddenly thrust upon him.
"'Captain Markham,' I said, 'do you hear those cries for water?'
"'Yes,' he replied, sadly; 'I have heard them for hours,
"'Among them may be Strahan's voice,' I said, eagerly.
"'Granting it, what could we do? Our pickets are way this side ofthe spot where he fell.'
"'Captain,' I cried, 'Strahan was like a brother to me. I can'trest here with the possibility that he is dying yonder for a littlewater. I am relieved from duty, you know. If one of my company willvolunteer to go with me, will you give him your permission? I knowwhere Strahan fell, and am willing to try to reach him and bringhim in.'
"'No,' said the captain, 'I can't give such permission. You mightbe fired on and the whole line aroused. You can go to our oldbrigade-commander, however--he now commands the division,--andsee what he says. He's back there under that tree. Of course, youknow, I sympathize with your feeling, but I cannot advise the risk.Good heavens, Blauvelt! we've lost enough officers already.'
"'I'll be back soon,' I answered.
"To a wakeful aid I told my errand, and he aroused the general,who was silent after he had been made acquainted with my project.
"'I might bring in some useful information,' I added, hastily.
"The officer knew and liked Strahan, but said: 'I shall have to putmy permission on the ground of a reconnoissance. I should be gladto know if any changes are taking place on our front, and so wouldmy superiors. Of course you understand the risk you run when oncebeyond our pickets?'
"'Strahan would do as much and more for me,' I replied.
"'Very well;' and he gave me permission to take a volunteer, atthe same time ordering me to report to him on my return.
"I went back to our regimental commander, who growled, 'Well, ifyou will go I suppose you will; but it would be a foolhardy thingfor even an unwounded man to attempt.'
"I knew a strong, active young fellow in my company who wouldgo anywhere with me, and, waking him up, explained my purpose. Hewas instantly on the qui vive. I procured him a revolver, and westarted at once. On reaching our pickets we showed our authorityto pass, and were informed that the enemy's vedettes ran along theridge on which we had fought the day before. Telling our picketsto pass the word not to fire on us if we came in on the run, westole down into the intervening valley.
"The moon was now momentarily obscured by clouds, and this favoredus. My plan was to reach the woods on which the right of our regimenthad rested. Here the shadows would be deep, and our chances better.Crouching and creeping silently from bush to bush, we made ourgradual progress until we saw a sentinel slowly pacing back andforth along the edge of the woods. Most of his beat was in shadow,and there were bushes and rocks extending almost to it. We watchedhim attentively for a time, and then my companion whispered: 'TheJohnny seems half dead with sleep. I believe I can steal up andcapture him without a sound. I don't see how we can get by him aslong as he is sufficiently wide awake to walk.'
"'Very well. You have two hands, and my left is almost useless,'I said. 'Make your attempt where the shadow is deepest, and if hesees you, and is about to shoot, see that you shoot first. I'll bewith you instantly if you succeed, and cover your retreat in caseof failure."
"In a moment, revolver in hand, he was gliding, like a shadow, fromcover to cover, and it was his good fortune to steal up behind thesleepy sentinel, grasp his musket, and whisper, with his pistolagainst his head, 'Not a sound, or you are dead.'
"The man was discreet enough to be utterly silent. In a momentI was by Rush's side--that was the name of the brave fellow whoaccompanied me--and found that he had disarmed his prisoner. Itold Rush to take the rebel's musket and walk up and down the beat,and especially to show himself in the moonlight. I made the Johnnygive me his word not to escape, telling him that he would be shotinstantly if he did. I gave him the impression that others werewatching him. I then tied his hands behind him and fastened himto a tree in the shade. Feeling that I had not a moment to lose,I passed rapidly down through the woods bearing to the left. Theplace was only too familiar, and even in the moonlight I couldrecognize the still forms of some of my own company. I found twoor three of our regiment still alive, and hushed them as I pressedwater to their lips. I then asked if they knew anything aboutStrahan. They did not. Hastening on I reached the spot, by a largeboulder, where I had seen Strahan fall. He was not there, or anywherenear it. I even turned up the faces of corpses in my wish to assuremyself; for our dead officers had been partially stripped. I calledhis name softly, then more distinctly, and at last, forgetful inmy distress, loudly. Then I heard hasty steps, and crouched downbehind a bush, with my hand upon my revolver. But I had been seen.
"A man approached rapidly, and asked, in a gruff voice, 'What thedevil are you doing here?'
"'Looking for a brother who fell hereabouts,' I replied, humbly.
"'You are a--Yankee,' was the harsh reply, 'and a prisoner; I knowyour Northern tongue."
"I fired instantly, and wounded him, but not severely, for he firedin return, and the bullet whizzed by my ear. My next shot broughthim down, and then I started on a dead run for the woods, regainedRush, and, with our prisoner, we stole swiftly towards our lines.We were out of sure range before the startled pickets of the enemyrealized what was the matter. A few harmless shots were sent afterus, and then we gained our lines. I am satisfied that the man I shotwas a rebel officer visiting the picket line. Our firing insidetheir lines could not be explained until the gap caused by themissing sentinel we had carried off was discovered.
"Then they knew that 'Yanks,' as they called us, had been withintheir lines. Rush, taking the sentinel's place while I was belowthe hill, had prevented an untimely discovery of our expedition.Perhaps it was well that I met the rebel officer, for he was makingdirectly towards the spot where I had left my companion.
"The poor fellow we had captured was so used up that he couldscarcely keep pace with us. He said he had not had any rest worthspeaking of for forty-eight hours. I passed through our lines, nowalert, and reported at Division Headquarters. The general laughed,congratulated us, and said he was glad we had not found Strahan amongthe dead or seriously wounded, for now there was a good chance ofseeing him again.
"I turned over our prisoner to him, and soon all was quiet again.Captain Markham, of our regiment, greeted us warmly, but I wasso exhausted that I contented him with a brief outline of whathad occurred, and said I would tell him the rest in the morning.Satisfied now that Strahan was not crying for water, I was soonasleep again by the side of Rush, and did not waken till the sunwas well above the horizon.
"I soon learned that the vedettes of the enemy had disappeared frombefore our lines,
and that our skirmishers were advancing. After ahasty breakfast I followed them, and soon reached again the groundI had visited in the night. On the way I met two of our men to whomI had given water. The other man had meanwhile died. The survivorstold me positively that they had not seen or heard of Strahan afterhe had fallen. They also said that they had received a little foodand water from the rebels, or they could not have survived.
"The dead were still unburied, although parties were sent outwithin our picket line during the day to perform this sad duty,and I searched the ground thoroughly for a wide distance, actingon the possibility that Strahan might have crawled away somewhere.
"I shall not describe the appearance of the field, or speak of myfeelings as I saw the bodies of the brave men and officers of ourregiment who had so long been my companions.
"The rest of my story is soon told. From our surgeon I had positiveassurance that Strahan had not been brought to our corps hospital.Therefore, I felt driven to one of two conclusions: either he wasin a Confederate hospital on the field beyond our lines, or elsehe was a prisoner.
"As usual, the heavy concussion of the artillery produced a rain-storm,which set in on the afternoon of the 4th, and continued all night.As the enemy appeared to be intrenching in a strong position, thereseemed no hope of doing any more that day, and I spent the nightin a piece of woods with my men.
"On the dark, dreary morning of the 5th, it was soon discoveredthat the Confederate army had disappeared. As the early shades ofthe previous stormy evening had settled over the region, its movementtowards Virginia had begun. I became satisfied before night thatStrahan also was southward bound, for, procuring a horse, I rodeall day, visiting the temporary Confederate hospitals. Since theyhad left their own severely wounded men, they certainly would nothave taken Union soldiers unable to walk. Not content with my firstsearch, I spent the next two days in like manner, visiting thehouses in Gettysburg and vicinity, until satisfied that my effortwas useless. Then, availing myself of a brief leave of absence, Icame north."
Blauvelt then gave Merwyn some suggestions, adding: "If you findno trace of him on the field, I would advise, as your only chance,that you follow the track of Lee's army, especially the roads onwhich their prisoners were taken. Strahan might have given out bythe way, and have been left at some farmhouse or in a village. Itwould be hopeless to go beyond the Potomac."
Rising, he concluded: "Mark my words, and see if I am not right.Strahan is a prisoner, and will be exchanged." Then with a laugh anda military salute to Marian, he said, "I have finished my report."
"It is accepted with strong commendation and congratulations," shereplied. "I shall recommend you for promotion."
"Good-by, Miss Vosburgh," said Merwyn, gravely. "I shall start inthe morning, and I agree with Captain Blauvelt that my best chancelies along the line of Lee's retreat."
Again she gave him her hand kindly in farewell; but her thoughtwas: "How deathly pale he is! This has been a night of horrorsto him,--to me also; yet if I were a man I know I could meet whatother men face."
"She was kind," Merwyn said to himself, as he walked through thedeserted streets; "but I fear it was only the kindness of pitifultoleration. It is plainer than ever that she adores heroic action,that her ardor in behalf of the North is scarcely less than that ofmy mother for the South, and yet she thinks I am not brave enoughto face a musket What a figure I make beside the men of whom wehave heard to-night! Well, to get away, to be constantly employed,is my only hope. I believe I should become insane if I brooded muchlonger at home."
In spite of his late hours, he ordered an early breakfast, proposingto start without further delay.
The next morning, as he sat down to the table, the doorbell rang,there was a hasty step down the hall, and Strahan, pale and gaunt,with his arm in a sling, burst in upon him, and exclaimed, withhis old sang froid and humor: "Just in time. Yes, thanks; I'll stayand take a cup of coffee with you."
Merwyn greeted him with mingled wonder and gladness, yet even atthat moment the thought occurred to him: "Thwarted on every side!I can do absolutely nothing."
After Strahan was seated Merwyn said: "Half an hour later I shouldhave been off to Gettysburg in search of you. Blauvelt is here, andsays he saw you fall, and since a blank, so far as you are concerned."
"Thank God! He escaped then?"
"Yes; but is wounded slightly. What is the matter with your arm?"
"Only a bullet-hole through it. That's nothing for Gettysburg.I was captured, and escaped on the first night's march. Dark andstormy, you know. But it's a long story, and I'm hungry as a wolf.Where's Blauvelt?"
"He's a guest at Mr. Vosburgh's."
"Lucky fellow!" exclaimed Strahan; and for some reason the edge ofhis appetite was gone.
"Yes, he IS a lucky fellow, indeed; and so are you," said Merwyn,bitterly. "I was there last evening till after midnight;" andhe explained what had occurred, adding, "Blauvelt trumpeted yourpraise, and on the night of the 3d he went inside the enemy's picketline in search of you, at the risk of his life.'
"Heaven bless the fellow! Wait till I spin my yarn. I shall givehim credit for the whole victory."
"Write a note to Miss Vosburgh, and I'll send it right down."
"Confound it, Merwyn! don't you see I'm winged? You will even haveto cut my food for me as if I were a baby."
"Very well, you dictate and I'll write. By the way, I have a notefor you in my pocket."
Strahan seized upon it and forgot his breakfast. Tears suffusedhis blue eyes before he finished it, and at last he said, "Well,if you HAD found me in some hospital this would have cured me, orelse made death easy."
Merwyn's heart grew heavy, in spite of the fact that he had toldhimself so often that there was no hope for him, and he thought,"In the terrible uncertainty of Strahan's fate she found that hewas more to her than she had supposed, and probably revealed asmuch in her note, which she feared might reach him only when deathwas sure."
The glad intelligence was despatched, and then Merwyn said: "Afteryou have breakfasted I will send you down in my coupe."
"You will go with me?"
"No. There is no reason why I should be present when Miss Vosburghgreets her friends. I remained last night by request, that I mightbe better informed in prosecuting my search."
Strahan changed the subject, but thought: "She's loyal to her friends.Merwyn, with all his money, has made no progress. Her choice willeventually fall on Lane, Blauvelt, or poor little me. Thank HeavenI gave the Johnnies the slip! The other fellows shall have a fairfield, but I want one, too."
Before they had finished their breakfast Blauvelt came tearing in,and there was a fire of questions between the brother-officers.
Tears and laughter mingled with their words; but at last theybecame grave and quiet as they realized how many brave comradeswould march with them no more.
In a few moments Blauvelt said, "Come; Miss Marian said she wouldnot take a mouthful of breakfast till you returned with me."
Merwyn saw them drive away, and said, bitterly, "Thanks to mymother, I shall never have any part in such greetings."
CHAPTER XXXVII.
STRAHAN'S ESCAPE.
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